Before my second lustrum had run out,I ventured forth in waters deep to swim,Though ignorant of natatory art.I trusted in the vigilance and careOf two appointed guardians; this pairProved faithless to their trust and stole awayTo play in wantonness; meantime the lakeCrystal in name, but inky in its depthsEngulfed me.

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Chorus.

It was thought by all concernedThat Jason – poor unfortunate! – had drowned,But – strange to say – the corpse was never found.His mother, unforgiving, took revengeUpon that thoughtless couple – with their livesThey paid the price for his supposéd death.

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Jason A.

Somehow I made my way back to the shore,My brain quite addled by th’experience;Somehow I made a life within this wood:Contrived a shelter, learned to stalk and snareAnd fill my stomach with warm blood and flesh.The wider world forgotten, in due timeI grew a man – in years but not in mind.Waiting and watching was my life, but whatI waited for, or why, I never knew.

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Chorus.

By evil chance, or by malicious FateDrawn thither, came a youthful covey, boundFor camping, to the very lake and woodWhere Jason lurked; and where nearby still livedShe who had given birth to him and mournedHis death. The coming of this careless bandAroused in her chaotic fleeting thoughts:"He’s dead – he’s living – she must go to him –She must avenge him – how have they returned,Bearing still the burden of their guilt?"

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Jason A.

My memory undimmed by passing years,I recognized her; in that moonlit nightMy maddened mother murd’rous mayhem made:She fancied she was striking down all thoseWhose negligence had brought about my death,As Ajax in his fury slaughtered sheepThat he deludedly supposed to beUlysses, Agamemnon, and the Greeks.Yet ere I could come forth and cry, “Mama!Your Jason lives!” and still her stormy rage,The one remaining of that feckless crew,That hellish vixen, cut the business shortBy cutting off my mother’s head – and so,For us no joyful meeting, only woe.

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Exeunt.

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ACT II

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Scene 1: A village in New Jersey.

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Enter Chorus.

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Chorus.

And now the sequel (second, third, or fourth,It matters not, they vary ne’er a whit):Another hopeless, hapless, heedless lotAppears, to sport and wanton – and to die;For Jason is by filial duty swornTo carry on his mother’s bloody work.

My thoughts turn to my fair Lascivia’s charms,And what we'll find when in each other’s arms.

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Lascivia.

You are too froward, sir – think all you please:You may find I am nothing but a tease.

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Turpino.

Here is much beer and wine – I shall drink deepAnd pass the night in sotted swinish sleep.

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Bimbona.

So nothing shall we lack of what we need,I have with me a casket of fine weed.

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Enter Ralph.

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Moros.

Good sir, can you direct us how to takeThe road that straightest leads to Crystal Lake?

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Ralph.

Oh, go not there! Blood drips upon the moon,Now hoots the owl, and now croaks the frog,The night wind howls and gibbers in the trees,The geese fly south though ‘tis Midsummer Eve,And butterflies, enraged, do peck at crows,And dogs and cats turn cartwheels in the street –By which grim portents I foresee that DeathHas spread his spectral bony fingers outAnd clutches at you – Flee! Avaunt! Begone!

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Turpino.

The fellow’s daft. Oh, bid him shut his trap.The camp is surely shown upon the map.

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Enter Constable.

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Constable.

Be off with you, who can see nought but doom!

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Exit Ralph; also, Moros et al.

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Constable.

And yet there is a pricking in my thumbsThat tells me something is not right – oh, well,I‘ll sleep tonight, then with tomorrow’s sun,I’ll go and see if aught needs to be done.

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Exit Constable.

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Scene 2: A part of the forest.

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Enter Harold.

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Harold.

How came I here, to wander in this wood?It is no place for quips and merry japes.

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Enter Jason A.; cuts Harold’s throat.

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Jason A.

There lie, thou clown, and welter in thy blood.I slew thee but to try my hand; the taskMy mother left unfinished calls: I mustWreak vengeance on these counselors of lust.

This night has not gone on as I expected:Our several friends are brought to grisly deaths,And you and I remain – what shall we do?How can we ‘scape the gruesome fate in store?

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Hippolyta.

Our surest safety lies in swiftest flight:Go now and fetch the car; I’ll pack our things;I would not wish to flee quite unprovided.

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Exit Moros & Hippolyta, separately; enter Chorus.

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Chorus.

Why will they never learn? To go aloneWhen horror stalks you is flat foolishness!

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Exit Chorus; re-enter Hippolyta, bearing bags, golf clubs, etc.

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Hippolyta.

I wait, a-tremble; why does Moros takeSo long a time in going and returning?But hark! I hear the car! Here, Moros, here!

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Enter the car. Jason A. gets out, carrying Moros’ head. Hippolyta screams and stumbles back and falls. Jason attacks her with a machete. Hippolyta reaches behind her, grasps a five-iron, and bats away the weapon; gets up and runs away.

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Jason A.

Alas! My doom, my Nemesis is come:Again I must confront the Final Girl.For ‘tis my fate that if I fail to killAt once, th’intended victim grows in powerAnd what she gains, I lose – so now beginsThe contest, which, I know, can only endWith her victorious; but, as did Macbeth,Bear-like I fight. Oh, fickle goddess Chance,I pray you, help me knock stern Fate askance!

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Scene 2: In the forest.

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Enter Jason A. and Hippolyta. They fight; Hippolyta fells him lifeless to the earth.

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Enter Chorus.

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Chorus.

Now is the time to end this fiend for aye!Chop off his head and sever all his limbs,Consume them in a fierce and cleansing fire,And grind the ashes to the finest dust,And summon up a gale, a mighty blast,And hurl the dust straightway into its heart,That to the furthest corners of the globe,It may be scattered! No – she heeds me not,Spent, exhausted, stumbling away,As birds with joyful song announce the dawn;The Constable and Ralph arrive at lastTo take the heroine into their careAnd gather in and tally all the slain.And what of Jason?

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Jason A. stands.

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Jason A.

Here I stand, condemnedTo life eternal – how I curse my stars!Old Sisyphus was never such a drudgeAs I; more multiplying foes I face,Than mighty Hercules, when he went forthTo battle with the Hydra; I would tradePlace gladly with that other Jason, whoOpposed himself to Cadmus’ earthborn menSprung from the dragon’s teeth. A slave am I:I die to live again, I fall to rise,So bloody lucrative is this franchise.